It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/12/29/2322025/cop-sacked-after-edsa-busway-crash |
A driver of a police car responsible for a bus crash that left five passengers injured along the EDSA Carousel in Quezon City on Wednesday was relieved from his post.
Col. Jean Fajardo, chief information officer of the Philippine National Police, said the driver, who is a police officer, would be facing administrative charges.
Fajardo did not identify the policeman, who is assigned with the National Police Training Institute in Calamba City, Laguna.
Quezon City police director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said a traffic ticket was issued to the policeman for reckless driving.
He said the police officer would also face criminal complaints.
Dashcam videos posted by the Department of Transportation on its Facebook page showed the bus was traversing the southbound lane of EDSA when the police car veered to the left and entered the Carousel.
The bus driver tried to avoid the police car, but ended up hitting the railings of the Metro Rail Transit’s Santolan station.
A cop has been sacked after causing a bus to crash.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/12/29/2322024/sc-upholds-conviction-2-cops-robbery-extortion |
The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the conviction of two Manila police officers who were found guilty of robbery and extortion.
In an 11-page decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the SC’s Second Division denied the consolidated petitions for review filed by Cpl. Ireneo Sosas Jr. and Senior M/Sgt. Ariel Salvador.
Sosas and Salvador were sentenced to up to eight years in prison.
They were also ordered to pay Arbuez P20,000 in damages.
In 2010, Sosas and Salvador were charged with robbery before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices, based on the complaint of salesperson Janith Arbuez.
Arbuez, who worked at a cell phone shop at Isetann Mall, had claimed that Sosas brought her to the mall’s administrative office to report her for selling stolen phones.
Sosas allegedly took Arbuez to the police station.
Salvador and Sosas allegedly asked P20,000 from the victim in exchange for the dropping of a complaint for violating the Anti-Fencing Law against Arbuez.
When Arbuez negotiated for a lower amount, Sosas allegedly agreed on the condition that they become “sweethearts.”
The victim refused and called her sister-in-law to bring the money to the police station.
After 18 hours in detention, Arbuez was freed after Sosas had received the money.
The Manila regional trial court found Sosas and Salvador guilty of robbery. Their conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, prompting them to elevate their appeal to the SC.
The conviction of two cops for robbery and extortion has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/29/former-mayor-in-leyte-charged-for-alleged-illegal-cease-and-desist-order |
Former Palompon, Leyte Mayor Myra Georgina Arevalo and her former municipal planning and development officer have been charged for alleged illegal issuance of a cease-and-desist order against DBSN Farms Agriventures Corp.
The case filed by DBSN on Thursday, December 28, before the Regional Trial Court Branch 14 here stemmed from her alleged denial to sign the renewal of the business permit of the breeder farm in Barangay San Joaquin on January 25, 2021, due to alleged environmental violations.
She likewise issued a cease-and-desist order on its operation on February 19, 2021, despite allegedly complying with all the statutory requirements.
"The closure made by Myra Georgina Laurente Arevalo was designed merely to harass the company for purely personal and political motives as she had singled out DBSN," the corporation said in a statement.
DBSN lawyer Gerentstein Banzon said the actions of the former local chief executive have resulted in the failure of DBSN to deliver fertilized eggs for hatching to other facilities owned by San Miguel Corp.
"Based on the contract of San Miguel and DBSN, DBSN was obliged to pay and has in fact paid P110 million in terms of penalties. DBSN has also suffered a loss of income in the amount of P84 million with total damage of P195,252,970.913," Banzon said.
A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and Preliminary Injunction (PI) were later issued by the Palompon Regional Trial Court Branch 17 which upheld that DBSN has the right to continue the chicken breeder farm operations.
DBSN further claimed that the actions of the respondents caused irreversible deprivation of a major food source of over 33,600 tons of chicken meat in the region.
"Chicken meat is the preferred meat source in Region 8. The actions of Arevalo and Pastor caused irreversible deprivation of a major food source of over 33,600 metric tons of chicken meat in the region," it said.
"To put into context, the total chicken meat requirement in Region 8 alone is approximately 64,000 tons of chicken meat, more than half of that chicken meat requirement was sourced outside of Region 8 because of the illegal acts of Arevalo and Pastor when it could have been easily sourced here in the region."
A former mayor has been charged for issuing an illegal cease-and-desist order against a chicken farming corporation.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/29/sandigan-convicts-ex-bohol-town-mayor-of-graft-malversation-falsification-charges |
The Sandiganbayan has convicted former mayor Apolinaria H. Balistoy of Cortes town in Bohol of criminal charges in connection with the fraudulent use of the municipality’s P105,000 training funds in 2010.
The anti-graft court said that while Balistoy insisted that she attended the training, the prosecution’s evidence successfully proved that she actually did not.
Balistoy was sentenced to six to eight years in jail for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. She was also ordered to indemnify the municipality of Cortes in the amount of P105,000.
For her conviction under Article 171 (falsification) of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), Balistoy was sentenced to four to 10 years imprisonment and was ordered to pay a fine of P5,000.
She was also sentenced to four months to six years for each of her convictions on five counts of Article 217 in relation to Article 172 (malversation of public funds through use of falsified documents) of the RPC and was ordered to pay a fine of P105,000.
However, the Sandiganbayan acquitted her co-accused, Executive Director of Asian Women's Network on Gender and Development (AWNGAD) Daphne D. Roxas, for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The cases against Balistoy arose from the disbursement of P105,000 public funds as reimbursement for expenses incurred for her and her son's attendance in Modules 1 to 4 of Trainings on Local Environment Governance and the Barangay E-Agri Training from May to October 2010.
The prosecution alleged and the anti-graft court agreed that Balistoy took public funds by falsifying Official Receipts and Certificates of Attendance as well as other liquidation documents by making it appear that they attended and completed the four module trainings and Barangay E-Agri Training.
"In sum, accused Balistoy is found guilty of all the cases filed against her. Sufficient opportunity was given to her to defend her cases and present evidence to refute the allegations against her but she failed to do so and even jumped bail," the court said.
"It was shown beyond reasonable doubt that Balistoy used fraudulent and incomplete documents to reimburse for expenses of trainings and seminars thereby making it appear that she participated when in fact she did not," it added.
The Sandiganbayan has convicted a former mayor of graft, malversation, and falsification.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/548257/policeman-in-negros-oriental-dead-due-to-accidental-firing-of-own-gun |
The death of a policeman who was found with a severe gunshot wound on his head in Negros Oriental on Saturday morning, December 30, 2023, was allegedly caused by his own gun accidentally firing.
This was according to the investigation of the Negros Oriental police on the death of Police Staff Sergeant John Kelly N. Catedral.
A police report showed that Catedral was driving his scooter on his way to La Libertad Proper when the fatal accident happened.
The accident took place at around 9:30 a.m. along the national highway in Sitio Looc, Barangay Martilio, La Libertad town in Negros Oriental.
However, witnesses claimed to hear a single burst of gunfire all of a sudden and found that Catedral has fallen to the ground.
Responding officers arrived at the scene and found the lifeless Catedral lying beside his scooter with a severe gunshot wound on his head.
Police recovered from underneath Catedral’s scooter an empty cartridge of 5.56 caliber rifle.
The report said that the policeman’s issued firearms had been secured and would be processed by Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO).
Catedral is a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) assigned at the La Libertad Police Station.
A cop died after accidentally shooting himself in the head.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1216170 |
The Office of the Ombudsman meted a six-month suspension without pay to a town mayor of Mindoro Oriental province after finding him administratively liable in connection with irregularities in the operation of a cockfighting arena.
This is the second suspension of Mayor German Rodegerio, after his first suspension last March.
In a copy of the order made public Monday, Assistant Ombudsman Pilarita Lapitan said Rodegerio's suspension took effect on Dec. 1, 2023, pursuant to a decision handed down by the Ombudsman last Aug. 31 finding the mayor administratively liable for simple misconduct.
This stemmed from the complaint filed by four individuals -- Vic Ruskin Ong, Wilfredo Condesa, Teotimo Famplume Jr. and Rimando Recalde -- who claimed that town officials, including the mayor, gave unwarranted benefits to the Gloria Cockpit Arena (GCA) which did not have a franchise.
The latest suspension order covers Rodegerio's issuance of 295 permits for cockfighting operations of the GCA from December 2017 to February 2021.
The Ombudsman earlier suspended Rodegerio for issuing 127 permits in favor of GCA from December 2018 to November 2019.
Rodegerio, meanwhile, claimed he acted in good faith and merely continued what his predecessors did when he issued permits to GCA.
He said the issuance was based on municipal resolutions issued by past administrations and even during the time of then-vice mayor Ramon Solas, who was one of the complainants.
A mayor has been suspended again over cockfighting irregularities.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/01/02/2322851/village-chief-stabbed-dead |
A barangay chairman was stabbed dead by a tricycle driver in Ajuy, Iloilo on Sunday.
Cornelio Cacho, 67, of Barangay Sto. Rosario, was declared dead on arrival at the Sara District Hospital due to a stab wound in the abdomen.
Police arrested the suspect, identified as Jonel Amaba, 42, in a pursuit operation in nearby Anilao town.
The victim was sitting in front of a commercial establishment in Barangay Malayu-an when Amaba allegedly stabbed him, according to Lt. Randy Lambungan, Ajuy police chief.
Lambungan said probers are eyeing jealousy as the motive for the killing.
A barangay chairman has been stabbed dead by a tricycle driver.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/01/02/2322859/drunk-mmda-enforcer-hits-edsa-bus-passengers |
A motorcycle-riding traffic enforcer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hit commuters getting off a bus along the EDSA Carousel in Cubao, Quezon City on Sunday.
Believed to be drunk, the MMDA enforcer, who was in uniform and equipped with a two-way radio, struck two passengers who alighted from a bus on the southbound lane of the EDSA Carousel, according to a report of the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT).
The passengers suffered minor injuries, the report said.
The traffic enforcer was speeding along the EDSA busway when he rammed the commuters, according to SAICT.
Video footage uploaded by the MMDA on its Facebook page showed the enforcer was apparently drunk as he could not get on his motorcycle following the accident.
A bus driver, who recorded the video, sought help from officers of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) assigned at the bus stop and apprehended the traffic enforcer.
The MMDA personnel did not yield his driver’s license to the PCG officers and told them to stop picking on him, saying he was also a law enforcer, according to SAICT.
The MMDA has yet to identify the traffic enforcer.
Acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said he has ordered an investigation into the incident.
“He might be terminated if he is a job order employee,” Artes said.
A drunk MMDA employee has been caught hitting bus passengers.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/2/sandigan-affirms-conviction-of-tarlac-town-revenue-collector-for-malversation-of-public-funds |
The Sandiganbayan has affirmed its decision that convicted the municipal revenue collector of Santa Ignacia, Tarlac of malversation of public funds amounting to P343,000 in 2013.
In a resolution, the anti-graft court denied Joseph M. Pattawi’s motion for reconsideration which alleged that the witnesses presented by the prosecution had no personal knowledge on the reported shortage in the General and Special Education Fund and, thus, their testimonies were “hearsay.”
The court disagreed with Pattawi. “The Court has already passed upon the issues raised in the assailed decision and since there are no new arguments presented by the accused and it failed to comply with the Rules of Court, it becomes evident that the motion should be considered as a mere scrap of paper.”
The Saniganbyana hass affiremd the conviction of a Tarlac treasurer for malversation of public funds.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1216229 |
A drunk soldier ran amok and shot dead two persons while injuring two others in Magpet town, North Cotabato on New Year's Eve, authorities said Tuesday.In a statement, the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) said the suspect, Sgt. Alin Anthony Jimenez, is affiliated with the Army's 10th Civil-Military Operations Battalion (10CMOBn).The 10CMOBn operates under the operational control (OPCON) of the Joint Task Force Haribon.On Monday, the 10CMOBn commander surrendered Jimenez, of Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro City, to the Magpet police.Police report said Jimenez, who was apparently drunk, was involved in an altercation with a person who checked him because he was driving a motorcycle without a license plate at Crossing Matas in Magpet.Jimenez then left and came back with a pistol and opened fire on people standing near a burger store, killing Eljey Repolidon on the spot.Another victim, Jesson Torres, later died in the hospital, while others were wounded.Cases of double murder and double frustrated murder are readied against Jimenez.“As a result, any administrative case or complaint against the personnel mentioned above cannot be addressed by the 10ID. Nevertheless, the 10ID remains resolute in its commitment to remind all our organic and OPCON personnel to uphold the highest standards of discipline in all their endeavors," the 10ID said.
A drunk soldier has been arrested for murder and frustrated murder.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/01/03/2323173/baguio-cop-dies-alleged-self-inflicted-gun-wound |
The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) in a press statement on Wednesday confirmed the death of one of its personnel.
The victim was identified as 25-year-old Patrolman Jumieko Potennec.
The police admission implied that the death of the cop was a self-inflicted gunshot.
“Accidents can be unavoidable in the handling of firearms,” Baguio City police director Colonel Francisco Bulwayan Jr. said as he emphasized the importance of adhering to safety principles when dealing with issued firearms to prevent such incidents.
The Baguio City police also ruled out foul play and stressed that the incident was “a tragic accident”.
The police vowed necessary assistance to the family of Potennec.
"Every member of our force will actively contribute to ease the financial burden faced by the family, following one of the best practices of BCPO," the police said.
It also stressed that Potennec will be remembered for his dedicated service to his countrymen as a police officer.
"His contributions to the community will forever be etched in our hearts," Bulwayan said.
Another cop has died after accidentally firing his gun.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/3/seven-year-old-boy-accidentally-shot-by-kagawad |
A Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) kagawad or councilor was arrested after he accidentally shot a seven-year-old child in Dumangas town, Iloilo province.
The Dumangas Municipal Police Station arrested “Radnie” of Barangay Paloc Bigque on Tuesday, January 2.
The suspect reportedly took a 12-gauge shotgun from his room but accidentally dropped the weapon on the floor. The firearm went off and a bullet hit the victim who was in their home playing.
Radnie fled but was arrested by the police in a hot-pursuit operation.
The Police Regional Office-6 commended the Police for arresting the suspect.
A councilor has been arrested for accidentally shooting a seven year old boy.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/3/village-kagawad-shot-dead-in-pangasinan |
A barangay councilor or “kagawad” was shot dead by a lone gunman on the national highway in Barangay Salay, Mangaldan, Pangasinan on Tuesday night, January 2.
The Police Regional Office-1 (Ilocos) identified the victim as Romeo Abrazaldo del Campo, 43, kagawad of Barangay Guilig, Mangaldan.
Investigation said the victim was riding a Sports Utility Vehicle with his live-in partner and their six-year-old daughter driven by Percival Mercado de Guzman, 33, of Calamba City, Laguna when the suspect, Deo Gapulao Quilan, 30, jobless, of Candelaria, Quezon, appeared on board a motorcycle with no license plate.
Quilan drew a caliber .45 pistol gun and shot the victim in the head. Del Ocampo was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.
The suspect fled onboard the motorcycle. Quilan was apprehended by patrolling policemen during a running gun battle after the suspect fell of his motorcycle on the Cayanga Bridge in Barangay Tempra-Guilig, San Fabian, Pangasinan, when he was hit on the thigh.
Quilan was taken to the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City, Pangasinan where he is under hospital arrest.
The gun was recovered from the suspect who faces appropriate charges.
Another barangay councilor has been assassinated.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1216280 |
A member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) is facing two counts each of murder and attempted murder charges for the shooting in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental on Tuesday.
“We are filing a case for two counts of murder before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor. It will be attempted murder in the case of two females hit by stray bullets,” Maj. Jovito Bose, town police chief, said in an interview on Wednesday.
Police report said Donan Sosia, 32, a member of government militia under the 32nd Negros Occidental CAFGU Active Auxiliary Delta Company of the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion, shot and killed Godofredo Templatura, 70; and his son John Albert, 32, around 4:30 p.m.
Sosia was responding to a call for assistance from Montilla village chief Nenita Alconera to pacify a commotion between the younger Templatura and his neighbor Alvin Abaño in Purok Sab-a.
Sosia, armed with an M-16 rifle, approached Templatura, who drew a bolo, prompting the former to fire at him twice.
When the victim’s father came in between them, Sosia also shot him.
Marites Rafol, 49; and Jeisel Abaño, 34, were hit by stray bullets.
Sosia is now detained at the Moises Padilla Municipal Police Station.
In an interview, Sosia alleged that he was acting in self-defense when the younger Templatura tried to attack him with a bolo.
A member of the CAFGU has been arrested for murder.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1883315/chief-of-village-watchmen-killed-in-batangas |
A leader of village watchmen (barangay tanod) in Nasugbu town in Batangas province, was shot and killed on Tuesday, police said.
The Batangas police said in a report on Wednesday, Jan. 3, that Hilario Rodriguez, 53, chief of the watchmen in Barangay Cogunan, was about to report for duty around 7 p.m. when a gunman shot him using a caliber .45 pistol.
The assailant fled after the shooting.
Rodriguez was taken to a local hospital but died while undergoing treatment.
The police said an official of the village’s office of the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), who witnessed the incident, identified the killer as alias “Suro,” 43, a resident of the barangay.
An investigation is ongoing to establish the motive behind the incident.
Police launched a manhunt operation to arrest the assailant.
A village watchmen leader has been assassinated.
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